Microsoft Teams Phone

With Microsoft Teams Phone from Gamma, a business can utilise the functions of their current on-premise telephone system to communicate with the outside world, place or receive business phone calls, create voice menus, hunt groups, call queues, record calls, get detailed statistical reports and more.

With Gamma SIP Trunk Call Manager you are in control of where your calls are routed. You can re-route calls to a mobile or create a virtual hunt group of mobiles meaning its business as usual when receiving calls.

Direct Routing enables business users to make and receive calls on Microsoft Teams by linking the platform with a PSTN via an approved partner, like Gamma. It’s a flexible integration option that supports a more tailored approach to call plans (plus additional functionality, such as call centre technology). Operator Connect – a more recent addition to the Microsoft suite – works in a similar way, but allows you to manage call routing services entirely via the Microsoft Teams ecosystem for a more streamlined approach.

For an organisation to enable Direct Routing, the following components are required:

• Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license including Teams
• Microsoft Phone System add-on
• An internet connection

For an organisation to enable Direct Routing, the following components are required:

• Microsoft 365 or Office 365 license including Teams
• Microsoft Phone System add-on
• An internet connection

No, it’s not necessary to have both services from Gamma to enable Direct Routing for Teams. However, Gamma Converged Access is specifically designed to connect business customers to our network in order to carry voice and video calls at a high quality. We also provide Quality of Service, our ‘end-to-end’ approach to designing, testing and providing services across both UCaaS and Access gives us the necessary visibility and control needed to deliver a consistent and robust voice and video quality to our business customers.

Operator Connect is available with selected Microsoft 365 licenses. In order to make use of this tool, you will need access to Microsoft Teams, a Teams Phone System, and an agreement with an approved Operator Connect provider (like Gamma) in order to link Teams to your PSTN carrier.

Operator Connect is a specific plan from Microsoft that allows participants to join Teams meetings by dialling into the call with a PSTN phone number, or dialling out to a PSTN phone number. Any outbound calls must be routed via your operator. You can purchase an Operator Connect Conferencing licence as an add-on to your Teams licence.

Microsoft Teams Phone utilises your existing connection to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), which means that emergency calls are handled in the same way as with your current telephone system.

Hosted telephony, also known as cloud-based telephony or hosted PBX (Private Branch Exchange), is a communication solution where the infrastructure and services for your business phone system are hosted and managed by a third-party service provider. Instead of having physical phone equipment installed on-site, the telephony system is hosted in the cloud.

With hosted telephony, your business can make and receive calls using internet protocols (IP), transmitting voice data over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. This eliminates the need for complex on-premises hardware and maintenance, as the service provider handles the infrastructure, software updates, and technical support.

Users can access the telephony system through IP phones, softphones (software-based phones installed on computers or mobile devices), or even integrate it with existing communication tools like unified communications platforms.

Gamma work within the Microsoft ecosystem of partners, and we have a dedicated call recording solution, which is compliant with MiFID II as well as other regulation requirements. Call Recording is available for Direct Routing and Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams Phone offerings and is crucial to users with the need to capture, store and replay all their calls and conversations in compliance with MiFID II, as well as other key regulations.

No, it’s not necessary to have both services from Gamma to enable Direct Routing for Teams. However, Gamma’s Converged Access is specifically designed to connect business customers to our network in order to carry voice and video calls at a high quality. We also provide Quality of Service, our ‘end-to-end’ approach to designing, testing and providing services across both UCaaS and Access gives us the necessary visibility and control needed to deliver a consistent and robust voice and video quality to our business customers.

With the introduction of the Gamma Voice App, we have been able to automate the provisioning process for Direct Routing, thus eliminating the need for any PowerShell knowledge or experience.

Microsoft Operator Connect is a service that allows you to connect Microsoft Teams and Phone System to a participant in the Microsoft Operator Connect Program. It provides an alternative to the Microsoft Calling Plan in regions where it’s not available. With Operator Connect, your chosen operator manages the PSTN calling services and Session Border Controllers (SBCs), resulting in faster deployment and enhanced support.

Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams is a feature that allows you to connect a supported Session Border Controller (SBC) to Microsoft Teams Phone. With this capability, you can configure on-premises Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) connectivity with Teams. In simpler terms, it enables you to use your own telephony infrastructure alongside Teams, allowing for seamless communication. Whether you have an existing contract with a PSTN carrier, need to connect to third-party analogue devices, or operate in a country where Microsoft Calling Plan isn’t available, Direct Routing provides flexibility and interoperability.